Page 28 of Broken Promises

“God,” I moaned, relaxing my entire body under his firm touch. “That feels good. You’re really good at this.”

“Thanks, I dated a woman who was a masseuse.” He grinned behind me.

“Can you give me her number? I’ll date her if I can get massages like this.” I groaned again, sinking further into the massage. Luke chuckled, but it was deeper this time, as was the intensity of his touch. He found a few knots in my back that desperately needed to be released.

“I should go into my mom, but I don’t want this to stop. Can you follow me around

today?” I asked.

“That wouldn’t be weird at all.” Luke laughed, sweeping over my back once more in a strong, circular motion. His body was closer to mine, too. I could practically feel him brush up against me, just as I could feel the hardened bulge in his pants. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I found myself pushing back against him before fully comprehending what was happening. His hands were on my back, his hips against me, and his lips dangerously close to my neck. We were playing with fire, and neither of us was strong enough to pull back, even if we got burned. Until…

“Lucy!” my mom called out, and we moved away from each other quickly.

“Coming in a second!” I responded. My gaze locked on Luke as I turned around to face him. He swallowed.

“Hey…I know the flower shop isn’t open today, but maybe I could come help you out tomorrow. I mean…an extra pair of hands doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“You’re right,” I said, even if I couldn’t fully grasp his words right now. I would’ve agreed to anything he said. “I’ve got to go check on my mom, but I’ll…see you tomorrow, then?”

Luke nodded, lingering in his spot for a moment longer before he headed out, and I went to check up on my mom. The hospital had given her crutches to use, which had made it easier for her to get around. The trick was not to put them close to her, or she would be up and moving around even though the doctor had said she needed to take it easy and not put any weight on her leg.

After helping her to the bathroom, I got her back to the bed.

“Would it be okay to keep the shop closed tomorrow, too? So that I can get a hang of everything. And Luke will come to help me, too.”

My mom smiled knowingly. “Sure, sweetheart. That’s more than fine.”

The doorbell rang again, and I knew the day would be full of visitors.

And I was right. By the end of the day, I was pretty sure that everyone in Port-Cartier had come to visit her.

lucy

. . .

The next morning,I peeked into the guest bedroom, only to find my mom still sleeping. Ed was already here, sipping on his coffee in the kitchen.

“Morning,” I greeted him, offering a smile. “I’m heading into the shop. I don’t want to wake her up. Do you happen to know where she keeps her keys?”

“Of course, Luce,” Ed responded.Luce.My smile was beyond my control, now widening further. I couldn’t help but wonder how long my mom had been with him that he picked up on the nickname, too. I’m happy for them; he’s good for her. Ed pulled out her ring of keys, already knowing where they were located.

“Everything you need should be in the office. Your mom usually has me help out with the flower delivery when I can—it should be in two days, but she starts preparing the day earlier. You’ll need to pick through the flowers, write them off, and dispose of them,” he told me. “I know that she has her notes on her desk…but anything else, you’ll have to ask her when she wakes up.”

“Thank you, Ed. This means a lot.” I’d call my mom later—for now, I just wanted to get a hang of as many things as possibleon my own. I found that it was the best way to immerse myself into the business. Plus, I wanted to bother my mom as little as possible. She deserved to recover properly. I worked for her during high school, so I was sure some things had changed in the ten years I’d been gone, but I figured I’d understand the general drift of the shop.

When I got to the shop, though, I realized nothing had changed. The sight wasjustas I remembered it. The exterior of the building was still painted in the same pale peach shade, and the vintage sign that read ‘Blushing Blooms’ remained unchanged. Inside were endless wooden shelves lined with colorful vases holding various kinds of flowers. The large windows allowed plenty of sunlight in, which benefited my mom’s business. In the back of the shop were two smaller rooms—one that my mom used as her office and the other that held no particular purpose other than for her to invite people in occasionally. More flowers, a mismatched sofa and armchair, and an antique little coffee table. Growing up, it was one of my favorite spots where Luke and I would spend a lot of time together, making out when my mom was out delivering flowers and I was in charge of the shop.

The office was just as chaotic; my mom was still handwriting everything, including all orders, stock taking, and business expenses. It was a mess of endless papers and stacks

of sticky notes with orders for each day. This was going to be a lot…to go through.

When Luke came in, he brought in coffee from Brew Haha, and I appreciated it more than he knew as I greeted him with a smile.

“You’re god sent,” I told him, taking a sip. “It will take me ages to get through everything. My mom…how does she even function? Nothing is digitalized. She’s probably losing so much of her time because of this.”

Luke reached forward, brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. My teeth sunk into my bottom lip as I watched him. “Well, this may be the time to help her out. You could implement a new system. You’re keeping the shop closed today, and I’ll be with you all day so we can figure out what can be done.”

“All day?” I shook my head. “Luke, I can’t ask that of you. You have your own business to take care of?—”

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